Coupler



May 28, 1935. w. F. RICHARDS COUPLER Filed March 22, 1929 4 Sheets-SheetMay 28, 1935- w. F. RICHARDS 2,002,503

- COUPLER.

Filed March 22, 1929 4 Sheets Sheet 2 llllll May 28, 1935. W F, RICHAWDS2,002,508

I COUPLER Filed March 22, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 g 7 0 56 m 3 v I J9 I IV 2a y 8, 1935. w. F. RICHARDS 2,002,508

COUPLER Filed March 22, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented May 28 1935UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Willard F. Richards, Depew, N. Y., assignorto Ilhe Gould Coupler Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation ofMaryland Application March 22, 1929, Serial No. 349,131 12 Claims. (01.213-428 The invention relates to couplers and, more vention, the scopewhereofis defined by. the: apparticularly, to automatic couplers for useon pended claims, railway rolling stock. Figure 1 is a partial plan andpartial horizon Theprincipal object of my invention, generally, talsectional view on the line l---! of Figure 2 '5. considered, istoprovidea coupler with' a vertilooking in the direction of thearrowsand illusa cally movable lock adapted for actuation from tratingone embodiment of my invention. either above or below, which uponupwardmove- Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional View ment engages aknuckle opener preferably on the line 2-2'bf Figure 1 looking in thedirecmounted on an angularly disposed pivot pin so tion of the arrows.lO that the tail engaging portion thereof is rear- Figure3 is a partialside elevational and par l0 ward-of the lockactuated portion; said pivotpin tial longitudinal vertical sectional view on the i beingret'ained inthe headin a novel manner and i e 33 of Figure 1 looking in the t on ofmeans beingzprovided for interlocking'the lifter t e arrows. and lookwithout the use of auxiliary members. Fi r 4 is a transverse sectionalview on the while providing for secure-connectiontherebeline f gu e '1looking in the direction of 15 tween and ready disconnection whendesired. the arrows.

Another object of my invention is to provide an Figure 5 is a fr m ry vr longitudinal automatic coupler in which-theiknuckle opener SectionalView Corresponding to Figure 2 but t is mounted on h l pivot showingaportionof the lock in section, and said tained by a cotter insertedfrom theins'ideof the 100k d t 0 lifter angled W respect to One 20 g plh d t th ut side o'f th h so th t another to abnormal positions to showhow said it can be easily applied-or detached'the'refrom. Parts e Cnected and disconnected.

A further object of my inventionis to'provide Fi r 6 is a transversesectional view correan automatic coupler with'a vertically movableSpending to Fi ure 4: but showing another emlock and a lifter thereforpassing through an ent of my invention. 25 opening in the top wall ofthe head and formed F r is a f m nt y n n l with outstanding integralpintles on its lowerend; tionel V ew C p nd ng to Figure 2 but illussaidpintlesbeing adapted to pass through'slots trifling the mbod me Shown inFigure 6 W th in the top of the look, when the lifter and lock. look inlook-set position.

aretdispos'ed at an abnormal angle'with respect u e s a fragmentary planof the knuckle 30 to one another, said slots being so disposed that SideOf the head d c ated pa ts with the upon straightening out the relationbetween the knuckle removed and further ting the emlifter and lock; saidlock is securely held for bodiment of es 6 and '7.

operation thereby and thepintles-are received Figures 9 d 10 resectional views correin'corresponding bearing portions in the lock.spoflding r p ctively to Figures 2 and 4 but 35: A still furtherobjectoimy invention is to proshowing another embodiment of myinvention.

vide an automatic coupler with a vertically mov- Referring to thedrawings in detail, like p ts abl one-piece l k, id 1 k being'formed ithbeing designated by like reference characters, an extension on thebottom thereof for guiding and first Considering the embodiment of y l0purposes, a portion of said extension providing vention illustrated inFigures 1 to 5 inclusive, 40 a shoulder adapted to engage a ledge on thehead there is shown an automatic coupler I comprisf r lock-settingpurposes, a, portiqn of aid exill: head 2 and a knuckle 3. AS is;customary, tension being tapered and fitting in a correspond- Portion ofthe knuckle is ap d a d ms ing pocket for holding the look from tiltingfor-. between uesi on the head m d with ap rward into the throat of thehead when coupling. till'es registering w th the aperture 5 in the Anadditional object of my invention isto proknuckle a d receiving atConnecting pivot p vide an automatic couplerwith a pivoted crank said Dm y be held in P in i y d lever foroperating the lock, which levelis're- Ina-111161 a in t present instance is shown ceiv'ed in a recessin the side .of the head to pro- With a head at upp e a d a Cotter 8tect it from injury. p passing through the lower end thereof for pre- 50()tlier objects and advantages oi the invention Venting undesiredremoval or loss. relating to the particular arrangement and con- Thehead 2 is hollow to provide a'pocket 9 struction of the various partswill become apfor receivingthe tail iii of the knuckle 3, and a parentas the description proceeds. lock receiving pocket or compartment I l inwhich Referring to the drawings illustrating my in fitsa verticallymovablelock I2, which in the 55 present embodiment is formed as a singlepiece or block provided with a depending portion l3 passing through acorresponding aperture M in the lower wall l5 of the head for guidingpurposes. The extension |3 is preferably notched at It to provide ashoulder ll adapted to engage the ledge E8 on the lower wall l5 of thehead to hold the lock in lock-set position. A portion of the extensionI3 is tapered downwardly as indicated at I9 and normally received in acorrespondingly tapered pocket 2E5 in the lower wall of the head toprovide a lock holder and prevent said lock from tilting forward throughthe throat of the head when coupling. The lock is so formed withrelation to the base of the compartment H and the size of the throat ormouth of the head 2 that it is possible to insert the lock through themouth of the head into position.

The top of the lock i2 is formed with a bearing pocket 22 adapted toreceive the lower end of an associated lock lifter 23 and outstandingtrunnions or integral pintles 24 thereon. Said pintles are preferablyflattened, as illustrated particularly in Figure 5, and access is had tothe pocket 22 in the lock through'slots 25 when the lock and lifter areangled with respect to one another to an abnormal position, asillustrated particularly in Figure 5. It will be clear that uponstraightening out the relation between the lock and lifter to theposition illustrated in Fig- 'ure 2, the pintles 24 will underlie thetop wall 26 of the look so that said lifter is securely interlocked withrespect to said lock, while at the same time provision is made for readydisengagement or engagement between the parts. The lock lifter 23preferably passes through an aperture 21 in the top wall 28 of the heador horn 29 thereon and is widened and apertured at 30, as indicated, soas to provide for connection with operating mechanism, not shown, and toprevent the lifter dropping clear through the aperture 2'! into thecompartment I in the head.

The upper end of the lock I2 is notched, as indicated at 3|, to providea ledge 32 which engages one end 33 of the knuckle opener 34.

Said knuckle opener 34 preferably has a hub portion 35 apertured andmounted on a preferably headless pintle or pivot pin 36, whichpreferably extends at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the head, asshown most clearly in Fig ure 1 and is inserted into position throughthe rear wall 3 of the horn 29 of the coupler head 2, and the forwardend of which is received in a corresponding pocket 38 adjacent the frontwall of the horn 29 where it is stopped against a shoulder 39, as shownmost clearly in Figure 1. After said pintle 36 has been applied it isheld in place in any desired manner, but preferably by means of a cotter4% passed from the inside of the head, or mechanism pocket, totheoutside, so that the head or loop of the cotter lies in the mechanismpocket of the coupler head and the prongs thereof are extended beyondthe outer surface of the head and readily separated to hold said cotterin place, so that the head engages the corresponding end of the pivotpin 36 and securely holds it in position.

Thelower or other end of the knuckle opener 34 is extended, as indicatedat 4|, to the side of the knuckle tail it], so that upon upward movementof the lock l2, the knuckle opener is finally engaged and rotated toswing the tail of the knuckle'outwardly to open or unlocked position. Itwill be apparent that on account of having the knuckle opener 34 pivotedabout a pintle 36 disthan from above.

posed at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the head, the tailengaging portion thereof is rearwardly of the lock-engaging portion,while maintaining the knuckle opener arms in the same plane transverseto the axis of the pivot pin thereof, thereby not only providing agreater leverage for opening the knuckle, but making the force act aboutan axis approximately radial with respect to the pin 6 about which theknuckle is pivoted, it being clear that the angularity of the pivot pinor pintle 38 makes the axis thereof nearly pass through the axis of saidpin 6.

Referring now to the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figures6, '7 and 8, an automatic coupler l is illustrated in which theoperation is substantially identical with that of the coupler of thefirst embodiment, except that the vertically movable lock I2 is operatedfrom below rather As in the previous embodiment, the coupler head 2 hasa lock receiving compartment i l in which moves a lock, preferablyone-piece, with an integral extension l3 received in an aperture W inthe lower wall I5 of the head. Said lock upon vertical movement engagesthe knuckle opener 34 which may be identical with that of the previousembodiment and be mounted on an angularly disposed pivot pin 36 as inthe previous embodiment, so that when said knuckle opener is engaged bythe lock it swings to move the tail Hi and the knuckle to open position.

In the present embodiment the extension Iii of the lock I2 is pivotallymounted on the upper end of the lock lifter 23 as by means of a pivotpin 24 Said lifter preferably passes between spaced depending portions42 and 43 of the extension l3 said extensions preferablydiverging so asto permit a limited amount of longitudinal angling of the lock IZ asshown most clearly in Figure 7, so that when moved upward into the headthe lower endof the extension 43 may seat upon the lock-set ledge |8 inthe head and hold said lock |2 in lock-set position from which it isdisengaged by the tail of the knuckle swinging therebeneath on closingmotion thereof.

The lower end of the lock lifter 23 is pivotally connected to the bentoperating lever 44, preferably between the arms 45 and 46 of thebifurcated portion 41, a pin 48 preferably passing through registeringapertures in said portions and the lower end of the lifter 23 andretained in position by a head 49 at one end and a cotter 50 at theother. The intermediate or hub portion of the lever 44 is preferablymounted between the lugs 5| and 52 depending below a side wall of thehead and through which passes a connecting pivot pin 53 preferablyheaded at one end, as indicated at 54,'and retained in place by a cotter55 at the other end. The upper portion or end 56 of the lever 44 ispreferably apertured, as indicated at 51, for connection with sideoperating means, not shown, and is normally received in a recess 58formed behind a bulge or outwardly embossed portion 59 on the knuckleside of the head, so that said lever is normally protected from injury.Except as specifically described in connection with the presentembodiment the same may correspond substantially with that of the firstembodiment.

Referring now to the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figures 9and 10, a coupler is illustrated which is similar to that of theprevious embodiments, except that the bottom of the head is formed toaccommodate a rocker shaft 60 and connection to the lock to form abottom operated coupler. Said lock l2 is preferably aooatosa formed withaniexten'sion 13 bifurcated t'o're ceiv'e th'erebetween' "a" lockwlifter23 as in the previous embodiment, thewbifurcation, however, beinglongitudinal rather than transverse, so that the"portions thereof fairlyclosely embrace the lock liiter'ZS at the same time'permitting saidlockto tilt forwardly so that the lowerend' of the extension l3 engagesthe lock-set ledge 58 in the lock-set positionfl'Inlockedposition, asillustrated in Figure 9, the lower ends of the extension 13* engagetheoperating crank fil rigidly mounted onthe rocker shaft 6E! andplvotally connected to the lower end of the lock lifter 23 hya pivot pinor the like 62. In order'to limitdownwardmove ment of the crank 6 l, thehead 2' is provided with a ledge 63 underlying the outer end of thecrank Gland providing a limit stop therefor, so that said crank thenprovides a firm abutment upon whichrests the lower endof thelockexte'ns'iori The rocker shaft" litl may be ope'rated' in-anydesiredmanner as -'-by means oi a transversely extending rod M hookedinto a headti on the shaft tfi, said shaft being retained in position bymeans of a washer 65 on the other endretained thereon by a cotter of thelike filfi'As'gin the pre vious embodiments, upon vertical movement ofthe look when the shaft 69 is rotated clockwise, as viewed in. Figure 9,said lock engag'esthe knuckle opener 34 which may'be mountedas in theprevious embodiments; which upon movement engages the tail M of theknuckle 3 and moves" the latter to openpositionf Except 'as specificallydescribed in connection with the present'embodiment, the same maycorrespond substantially with that of the first embodiment. f From theforegoing description taken 'in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, it will be seen that I have devised an improved automaticcoupler which may be operated from above or below and it operated frombelow either by pulling a lever sideways or rotating a shaft, saidcoupler having a vertically movable one-piece lock with dependingguiding and holding portions, said lock engaging a knuckle openerpivoted on a pin, the axis of which is angularly disposed with respectto the longitudinal center line of the head and which upon movementengages the tail of the knuckle to open the same. I have provided novelmeans for mounting the knuckle opener pin, for providing a lock-setfeature for a one-piece lock and for conveniently interlocking the locklifter and look while providing for ready engagement and disengagement.

Although I have illustrated and described certain preferred embodimentsof my invention, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limitedto the details as modifications may be made without departing from thespirit of my invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having now described my invention, I claim: 1. In combination, a couplerhead with walls defining a mechanism pocket, a knuckle pivoted thereto,a locking block vertically movable in said pocket and guided by saidwalls, a lock lifter operating in an aperture in the upper wall of saidhead and having trunnion means with a flattened normally vertical sideinterlocking with said block, said block having a slot extendingdiagonally rearward and upward, from a pocket adaptedto pivotallyreceive and normally provide for interlocking of the trunnion meanstherein, and in width corresponding with the minimum width of thetrunnion means, to provide for assembly and disengagement with respectto said lifter'ibnly when-theblock *andlifter are disposed in" anabnormal angular relation. i

2. In combination, a coupler head, a knuckle pivoted thereto, avertically movable'lock with a bearing pocket from which a slot extendsdiagonally: rearward and upward, a lock lifter with trunnionmeansflattened in a normally vertical plane so asto pass said slot, when saidtrunnion means is in a' position abnormal with respect to saidlock,'said lifter being adapted for raising said :lock when in normalposition with the trunnion means in the pocket. i

13 'In combination, acoupler head with a mechanism 'pocketfa knuck1e,'alock vertically movable in said pocketja knuckle opener comprising abell" crank lever with one arm engaged by said look upon upward movementthereof and the other engaging said knuckle, and' means for mountingsaid knuckle opener in said head comprising a pin with its intermediateportion su-pportingsaid knuckle opener and its end portions mountedinlsaid head, that portion of said head receiving one end'oisaid pinbeing iorinedwith a shoulder limitinglongitudinal movement of the pininone direction, the other end of said pin being-received in anapertured portion of said head, said'apertured portion being extendedaxially beyond- -the normal position of the pin to the outer surface ofa wall of the mechanism pocket, andmerging at one side with said pocket,and a cotter'with a portion'disposed in the extension of"saicl aperturebe'yond 's aid pin, adjacent the plane' of mergence with the pocket, forlimiting movement of the pin' the other direction and its prongs passingthrough the wall of the mechanism pocket and bent'to locking position onthe outer surface thereof, whereby said cotter isinsertable "andremovablefrom the inside of said pocket. 7

4. In combination, a coupler head with a mechanism pocket and anupstanding horn, a knuckle, a locking block vertically movable in saidpocket, a knuckle opener actuated by said block, and a pivot pin forsaid opener, one end of said pin being supported in a pocket in the headand the other end in an aperture opening into said mechanism pocket andextending to the outer surface of the horn, and means closing saidaperture and normally overlying the end of said pin in said aperture,said means being locked in place at the outer surface of the Wall andbeing insertable and removable, from the mechanism pocket.

5. In combination, a coupler head, a swinging knuckle, a verticallymovable look, a knuckle opener actuated by engagement of the upperportion of said lock therewith and provided with arms lying in the sameplane transverse to the axis thereof, a pin on which said opener isadapted to pivot, said pin being formed with end portions on oppositesides of said opener supported by said head and extending at an angle tothe longitudinal axis of the head, so that the lock engaged part of saidopener is forward of the tail engaging portion, a shouldered portion ofthe head preventing displacement of the pin in one direction by lyingadjacent one end of said pin, and removable means normally overlying theother end of said pin for preventing displacement in the otherdirection.

6. In combination, a coupler head, a vertically movable lock, asubstantially parallel sided extension on the bottom of said locknormally passing through a corresponding aperture in the bottom of saidhead for guiding purposes, said extension being formed with a taperedportion at one side,

and said head having'a corresponding pocket'in which said taperedportion is supported when the lock is in locked position.

'7. In combination, a coupler head, a vertically movable look, a locklifter connected thereto so that the greater proportion of the weight ofthe lock is forward of the connection with the lifter, whereby said locktends to tilt forward, a ledge on the head adjacent the rear portion ofthe lock receiving compartment therein, and an extension on said lockformed with a portion tapered at such an acute angle and supported, in acorresponding pocket in the head when the lock is in lowermost positionso that said lock will then be held from forward tilting, said extensionhaving a portion engaging said ledge for holding the lock in lock-setposition.

8. In combination, a coupler head with an aperture in the lower wallthereof, a vertically movable lock adapted to tilt longitudinally of thehead into lock-set engagement therewith, an extension on said'lockadapted to pass through said aperture, a tapered portion on a side ofsaid extension, said head being provided with a correspondingly formedpocket in which said tapered portion fits for holding the lock fromtilting forward into the throat of the head when in locked position.

9. In combination, a coupler head with a tapered pocket in alongitudinal upright wall thereof, a knuckle pivoted thereto, and avertically movable one-piece lock formed with a tapered dependingextension adapted to snugly fit said pocket for holding it in properposition in said head and preventing forward tilting thereof.

10. In an automatic coupler, in combination, a head, a knuckle, a pinconnecting said knuckle to said head, a lock vertically movable in saidhead, the upper portion of said lock having a pocket opening diagonallyupward and rearward, a lock lifter operating in an aperture in the upperwall of said head, the lower portion of said lifter having trunnionsnormally interlocked in said pocket and removable therefrom only upontilting to place the lock and lifter in an abnormal relative position,and a knuckle opener pivotally mounted in the head and engaged by thelock upon upward movement to actuate the knuckle.

11. In an automatic coupler, in combination, a head, a knuckle, a pinconnecting said knuckle to said head, a lock vertically movable in saidhead, said lock having a depending guiding extension normally receivedin a corresponding aperture in the bottom of the head and formed at aside with a tapered portion adapted to fit in a correspondingly formedpocket in the head for holding the lock in locked position andpreventing it from tilting forward into the'throat of the head, a locklifter, means connecting said lifter and lock, and a knuckle openerpivotally mounted in the head and engaged by thelock upon upwardmovement thereof to actuate the knuckle.

12. In an automatic coupler, in combination, a head, a knuckle, a pinconnecting said knuckle and head, a lock adapted to move up and down insaid head, the upper portion of said lock having a pocket connectingwith a passage opening diagonally upward and rearward, a lock lifteroperating in said head and having trunnions formed on the lower portionthereof adapted to pass through said passage only when lock and lifterare disposed in an abnormal angular relation to said pocket to interlockwith the lock, and a knuckle opener pivotally mounted in the head andadapted for engagement by the lock to actuate the knuckle.

WILLARD F. RICHARDS.

